Something To Consider: Somebody Could Have Bought A Platinum Vacheron Chronograph AND A Platinum Vacheron Minute Repeater For Under $50,000 This Weekend

It's very easy to get lost in the extreme sales of auction season - the $1m Daytona, the $500,000 stainless steel Lange, or the $2.1m Patek. But not everything goes crazy at auction, and in some cases, it's still THE place to rip a deal. And today I'll show you two watches I had my eyes on before the sale, and during, and now have a little bit of regret not making a play for - they're both Vacherons, they're both in platinum, and they both represent tremendous...nay...ABSURD value.

The first watch that I genuinely really, really considered bidding on (as proven by the wristshot taken above) was at Antiquorum, and it's a watch called the Vacheron Constantin REF 47101 PLATINUM "LES HISTORIQUES". The Ref 47101 was an early historical tribute to the one of both Vacheron and the industry as a whole's most beautiful chronographs of all time, the reference 4178, from the 40s and 50s. This particular example dates to the 1990s, and as such is 36mm (1mm larger than the 4178 but smaller than later Les Historiques Chronographs), cased in solid 950 platinum, and came with original boxes, papers, certificates, and even original platinum buckle.

Did i mention it uses the famous Lemania caliber 2310 that you not only find in the $55,000 Vacheron Patrimony chronograph of today, but also the Patek 3970, 5970, and 5070? You know what this platinum Vacheron chrono with one of the finest finishes on one of the finest movements ever made sold for? 15,000 CHF. Think about that value, people. And then consider Patek's 5070P, which uses the exact same movement, also cased in platinum, from the same era, just sold for 173,500 CHF the very next day.

Ok, the Patek is larger (36mm vs 42mm) and it's a Patek, but come on. Is it worth more than 10x the VC? I'll leave that up to you, but no matter how you slice it, 15k for a Vacheron Constantin with a manually wound Lemania movement in platinum with box and papers is nothing short of an absolute bargain. You can see the details here.

The other watch I had my eye on (but again, did not bid on) was another Vacheron, and again actually in platinum. It dates to 1925, and it's a very slim, open-faced, keyless pocketwatch with an estimate of just 15,000-25,000CHF. Did I mention it's a minute repeater? Ever since my experience seeing some of VC's most beautiful and impressive early watches in Road To Basel Episode 1, I've been keen to get into something complicated from the earlier years of Vacheron's incredible history in complications. Granted, I likely wouldn't carry a pocketwatch around, but this particular watch was just so beautiful, so elegant in platinum, and so beautiful sounding, there was a significant part of me that said I should be bidding on it.

I bet a lot of you, up until now are curious why I'd be so into this plain looking VC, even if it is platinum. Well, pop open the caseback and take a look at that movement. That thing is slap you across the face gorgeous, and while I couldn't wear it regularly like a wristwatch, just owning something this beautiful would be such a thrill. This 1925 Vacheron minute repeater in platinum sold for just 27,500 CHF, above its high estimate, but in my opinion, still an unfathomable value for true high-end watchmaking. Details here.

Watch enthusiasts are not limited to collecting only pricey marvels of modern engineering or exceedingly rare vintage specimens. In fact, we come in all breeds, including fans of the pop-culture-influenced watches produced by Swatch. If you fall into that category, you're in luck: on April 7, 2015, Sotheby's Hong Kong will auction one of the world's largest collections of Swatch watches and ephemera from a private collector. Over 5,800 pieces are included in the collection, which is to be offered as a superlot valued at $1.3 million.

Last week's sale of the Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication made by Patek Philippe for $24,000,000 has become international news. This mega pocket watch has been in countless newspapers and magazines around the world over the past 10 days since the gavel fell at Sotheby's in Geneva. But, this is HODINKEE – and we always try to go the extra mile so that those who may not be able to hop on a jet for an evening sale in Geneva can still experience the thrill of seeing the world's most expensive watch go under the hammer.

In absolutely fascinating news out of Qatar, the owner of the Henry Graves Jr. Patek Philippe Supercomplication, expected to sell for in excess of $15,000,000 tomorrow in Geneva, has died unexpectedly.

Today is a very big day for us Patek Philippe lovers – it is the day that this great Genevan company will unveil its celebratory timepieces for its 175th birthday. I am in Geneva to cover this at length when the curtain lifts later tonight, but before we get to that, I thought today was as good a day as any to show you a little something special. Since starting HODINKEE over six years ago, I've gotten to see some incredibly important, and rare, timepieces.

While no doubt, the eyes of the world will be focused on the Graves Supercomplication at the upcoming Sotheby’s Geneva auction on November 11th, there are also some other fantastic watches in the sale. Here are some of my favorites.

Next week, Sotheby's and Christie's will be having auctions in New York: Wednesday, June 10 and Thursday, June 11, respectively. There are a wide array of watches available, but here are a few of my favorites, including from Rolex, Omega, Vacheron, and Patek Philippe.

Sotheby's will host its spring New York sale tomorrow (Monday, June 9th) and we thought we'd bring you three of the most interesting lots in our very humble opinions. There is a mystery Patek Philippe with a historically important movement, a fresh off the boat prototype Rolex dive watch, and a simply beautiful 1940s Vacheron chronograph in stainless steel. Click through for details and live photos.

A few weeks ago we told you about an insane collection of unique titanium Pateks that will be hitting the block at Sotheby's on June 10th in New York. Well, there's one left that we didn't tell you about. This unique, previously unknown watch looks unassuming enough from the front – two-hands, Breguet numerals, silvered dial – but when you turn it over you'll see a massive 9.44 ct D Flawless diamond staring back at you. Instead of looking at the movement through a sapphire window, you actually look at the manually-wound caliber through the diamond itself. Here is your exclusive first look at this extremely unique watch.

Among the non-Graves/Fullerton watches sold last week at Sotheby's that I was most closely tracking was a 1938 Audemars Piguet chronograph in an 18k yellow gold case. As we have previously told you, Vintage Audemars Piguet chronographs are notoriously difficult to find. Just check out this post and this post to see a couple rare and valuable AP chronos.

The reason why vintage Audemars chronographs are so difficult to find is simply because AP had such a limited production. The lot notes for this chronograph explain why: "In the 1930s, production levels for Audemars Piguet dropped nearly to a halt following the worldwide economic depression following the 1929 stock market crash. The firm adjusted by re-assessing the number of watchmakers on staff, but remained committed to the tradition of haute horlogerie that continues to define the brand. By 1938, the firm recorded just over 400 pieces made for the year, a number which may seem low but which marked a 400% uptick from the previous year."

This chronograph has a spectacular dial incorporating an outer telemeter track (for determining distance of objects through sight and sound, such as artillery fire, other explosions, or lightning) and a tachometer ring on the inner part of the dial, for measuring speed.